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Posted: |
Apr 16, 2014 - 10:04 AM
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By: |
Zooba
(Member)
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What I remember most about THE SWARM is that it came out the same summer that CAPRICORN ONE and DAMIEN OMEN II came out, so I was thrilled that Jerry Goldsmith had three big movies in the theaters. SWARM released to theaters in July of 1978 and CAPRICORN & DAMIEN were already playing starting in June.
I was working at a movie Theater playing CAPRICORN ONE and was in good with the manager who let me design the Lobby displays. I remember showcasing in one display The CAPRICORN ONE Soundtrack LP and other recent Jerry Goldsmith LP's . It was awesome. It was set up with the CAPRICORN ONE LP in the center saying CAPRICORN ONE: FEATURING MUSIC BY Academy Award Winning composer Jerry Goldsmith and then all around it I had the LP's of THE OMEN, DAMIEN OMEN II, THE SWARM and THE CASSANDRA CROSSING. Wish I would have taken a photo of it cause it looked totally cool. Come to think of it, I think I did. Must find it somewhere in storage.
My local TOWER RECORDS, who I established a great rapport with, actually gave me all the albums gratis, as in the display I had a plug for them saying ALL SOUNDTRACKS AVAILABLE on Records and Cassettes AT TOWER RECORDS. Every time a movie that had a soundtrack came to our theater after that, I would do a display and cross promotion with TOWER and therefore got a lot of great free soundtracks. We played MEATBALLS and I did a display featuring Elmer Bernstein and his recent soundtracks, including ANIMAL HOUSE. Perhaps I should have gone into marketing?
What a fun movie and movie music summer that was! And SUPERMAN The Movie would come out in December that same year, but playing across the street at another theater! No freebie of that one for me.
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For all you killjoys who think THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE theme or score is dull, I suggest you listen to the music of the film's denoument and end title.
Preferebly on the 20th Century Fox blu-ray.
I think you'll find that this score may not be as bland as you remember.
One of John Williams' finest scores.
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The theme and final bits are great. It's the stuff in the middle....
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The theme and final bits are great. It's the stuff in the middle....
Personally, I think you're wrong. THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE is a movie that benefits from very judicious "spotting"; that is, deciding where to start and stop the music.
Check that blu-ray out and notice how much the start of cues cannily intensifies the mood.
When Gene Hackman is exhorting the passengers to follow the expedition up into the ship, the re-introduction of the Main Theme lends a lot more drama and heroism with it's noble fanfare, played in a relaxed but urgent manner. Just like the moment in the movie.
I think its genius scoring.
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You know what? I just took a looky and have La La Lands release still shrink wrapped on my CD shelf!
I purchased it for nostalgia reasons, and really forgot I even had it.
"Monsieur Neary, I envy you."
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Favorite score as music (haven't seen how it functions as score): The Swarm.
Poseidon Adventure is tremendously effective in the film, and it's easily my favorite of the three films (though I haven't seen The Swarm I've heard it's just awful).
I never really got the love for The Towering Inferno. It may be my least-played FSM disc. It feels very 70s dated, and unfortunately not in a way I find catchy.
Poseidon Adventure may be less colorful than Inferno but the music feels much more serious and timeless. The "middle stuff" that people seem to dislike is in fact subtle and effective scoring IMO.
Yavar
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I've always loved Towering Inferno, but I first ran into it after seeing Poseidon Adventure so that has a soft spot for me too. Although the acting is iffy in some moments, and Leslie Neilson's role in the beginning a bit jarring for me (I keep expecting him to say "Good Luck, we're all counting on you.") but that's just due to history and not really due to the film itself.
Towering Inferno I recently watched with someone who doesn't watch a lot of old films but does watch a lot of FILMS and he rated it rather highly still (I thought it a good experiment to see what a 'modern audience' might react with). Having remembered the old DVD version of it, with it's issues, the blu ray is a godsend.
PS: I hope the gods that be see it upon themselves to aquire the music used to produce the 5.1 tracks and release it since the score deserves a full release.
I love Towering Inferno. I could watch it at the drop of a hat. It's up there with Gone With The Wind and Jurassic Park as films if someone said "lets watch it" I'd not argue.
Poseidon Adventure Is a close second because I absolutely adore the quarreling couple Linda and Rogo, the adorable older couple of Belle and Manny (and her gut wrenching and beautiful acted death scene).
I always wondered what would happen when Nonnie found out Martin was gay though lol And then for the remake (which I saw but was NOT impressed with) to see the character actually be played by Richard Dreyfus as a gay man I found the only INTERESTING adaptation in the remake (besides the obvious effects upgrade).
I adore the disaster era themes William's wrote... Towering Inferno, Poseidon Adventure, and Earthquake (which, although not an Irwin Allen film I mention as I have attempted to watch for the 5th time and have found myself turning off just as the quake hits due to my disinterest and/or contempt for the characters lol).
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THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE is a huge favorite of mine, film and score, especially the main and end titles. Also the song. I'm thrilled with the LLL CD and its inclusion of "The Morning After" vocal. The film itself never had an LP release, and the FSM CD did not include the song, so the film version of "The Morning After" is a rarity within a rarity and I love playing it. It's like something I'm not "supposed" to have, which gives it some extra sizzle.
Scott M's review of INFERNO makes me want to revisit that film and this time get into it a little more, get into that head space and really see it this time. I think I have the DVD at home, but I'm at work now.
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Posted: |
Apr 16, 2014 - 9:45 PM
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By: |
Browny
(Member)
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Thanks chriss for the mention further up the page!
No doubt what my answer here would be but I have to say as much as PA is considered a cult classic, so too is TTI. I am already champing at the bit for a new remastered version and surely this year being the 40th Anniversary of the film's release may see it coming to fruition. Fingers crossed.
As noted in the referral post chriss linked to, there are many extras, alternates and other tracks from this 70s classic that have never seen the light of day before. If the score was to be reissued I would hope against hope that they don't do a straight resissue of the great FSM CD -- fans want all the extras previously mentioned. No doubt this could fill 2 CDs. Anyone questioning the alternate versions of the Main and End Titles for example, should listen to a copy of the original LP on You Tube - the differences in these cues -- recorded within the same sessions -- is astounding when you are so used to listening to the CD version and quite noticeable. And if any enterprising Producer is contemplating this (or its already in the works) my offer to do definitive liner notes and a track by track analysis of the score still stands!
I have been greatly surprised by the amount of fondness for this film and its music; this tells me there is a market for it still. The top dollar prices it commands on ebay are of course outrageous, but then again when demand exceeds supply anything can happen.
And just to clarify a few points from up above. The special effects were all done live, no digital super whiz bang CGI and they still hold up even today. Remember that apart from a five-floor section built for close up scenes, all the building shots were two very impressive miniatures. Even some of the Lemoore Rescue Helicopters were in fact miniatures! And the budget for the miniatures was $1,110,000.00 of the movie's overall $14M cost.
As for the comment regarding fire flames, they were all real, they even did tests on different color film stock before settling on the one that was used. As cinematographer Fred Koenekamp noted in one of the small featurettes on the DVD/ Bluray, there's many different colors and looks to fire. Sometimes it can look awfully good and other times it can look pretty fake. What they did on the film shows what could be done. Sure nowadays it would all be CGI but it was still an outstanding effort by all concerned.
I like all three of the movies cited in this thread. And "The Swarm" isn't that bad a film. At least it's reasonably watchable (actually I enjoyed it more in the 155 min. extended cut as opposed to the original 114-min. theatrical version). Goldsmith's score makes it better than it deserves.
And there's no denying Irwin Allen was definitely one of the last of the great Hollywood Producers in the mould of Cecil B. DeMille. All he ever wanted was to put on a good show and this comes through in his films and especially in the background featurettes of the film. But even I had to laugh when he looks deadpan into the camera lens and says (to an off screen interviewer) "It was very nice that fire chiefs all over the world thought the single greatest effort ever made in history for fire prevention, was the production of the motion picture 'The Towering Inferno' " -- he took his role very seriously I guess!!
So here's hoping there will be a deluxe 40th Anniversary expanded edition of the TTI soundtrack sometime this year. And I agree with Allen's late wife (Sheila Mathews) who appeared in the movie as the mayor's wife and who sadly passed away at the end of 2013. Commenting on the film's continued popularity, she once said "The Towering Inferno will live for a very long time".
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There are so many lines from Towering Inferno that come to mind as chilling like that one!
And as you said Browny, even in my own study of the film and the Blu ray vs FSM release, it's obvious that something else was discovered / used for the Blu Ray release that either wasn't found or available when FSM made it's set. There do still seem to be some that a missing (as they weren't mixed into the new 5.1 mix as anything but mono with effects) but there is definitely enough and a great enough change in technology to warrant a new release.
I need to see the Swarm as I haven't seen it before but you all seem to rate it very highly so I'm definitely gonna have to check it out.
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